Suranjith Bandara K

Post Doc. in Earth System Science (Atmospheric). Looking into urban climate change issues. Love Photography & wildlife

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Congratulations to lead author Prof. June (Chiung-Wen Chang), Prof. Judy (Wan-Ru Huang), and all co-authors on a fantastic collaboration!

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

🌿 New open-access paper out in Climatic Change!

"Remote impacts of maritime continent deforestation on early summer precipitation across Asia", using CESM to trace how MC land-use change reshapes Asian monsoon rainfall. Full open-access paper: https://t.co/zHcdJH5mMW

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

I am particularly proud of the opportunity to develop the final schematic diagram, which visually maps the teleconnection pathways and physical mechanisms behind these remote precipitation responses. Getting the story across in a single figure is always a challenge,

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Key findings:
📉 East Asian coast: suppressed Meiyu (↓ frequency + intensity) via subsidence & column drying
📈 Indian Peninsula: enhanced rainfall (↑ frequency + intensity) via ascent & moisture-flux convergence
🌧️ Maritime Continent: fewer but far more intense events

[Oscar Arias @OACerebro]

Enjoy!

https://t.co/R2qHzyahDD

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Excited to share our latest publication in Geoscience Letters!
We evaluated CMIP6 models & project springtime soil moisture drying across subtropical East Asia and found critical regime shifts.
🔗 https://t.co/iZuQnHsVkb
#ClimateScience #CMIP6 #SoilMoisture #DroughtRisk

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

@BojanRadojici10 Please share your Excel Project Evaluation Tool . Thank you

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

🌊 Just wrapped up presenting our #ENSO-#Sri Lanka rainfall research at #TGA2025!
Fascinating to show how La Niña enhances Sri Lankan spring rainfall by 29% while El Niño suppresses it - with valuable 3-month forecasting potential for Sri Lannka
#ClimateScience #ClimateResilience

[Andrew Akbashev @Andrew_Akbashev]

How to pick the right lab for a postdoc if you want to stay in academia.

[based on my experience in the US and partly Europe]

1. Make a list of possible groups in advance. Meet their students & postdocs at conferences. Listen to their feedback. Get opinions from the faculty in your department.

BUT don't trust others' opinions blindly. You may accidentally skip a great group just because you were misled by a colleague.

2. When cold-emailing advisors:

- Do not be generic !!!!!!!

- Prepare a perfect email that describes you, your experience and future interests. Don't make it too long. Attach a full CV. NO misspellings, NO “Hi Prof”!

- Briefly describe WHY you want to do a postdoc in their lab (how will it help you?).

- Add a short paragraph describing the potential research direction you envision. Avoid discussing details until you get to an interview.

- TAILOR your email to each specific lab. It should be clear you know what they work on.

- Avoid being too pushy, especially if you don't know the group.

3. Ask your PhD advisor to send a recommendation letter directly to those professors. This can help tremendously !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. If you know they have an opening, you can ask for an opportunity to give an in-group seminar (online). In some cases, candidates gave “no-strings-attached” talks and ended up with an offer (it’s not common but it happens).

📍During the interview:

5. Prepare a perfect (!) talk. Tailor it to the group’s interests.

6. Do NOT just talk about yourself. Discuss THEIR interests too. Discuss the overlap of expertise - how can it help them improve or expand? Make them feel you CARE about their progress as much as you care about your own.

7. Explain how a postdoc position in this group can help your career.

8. Make sure lab members see you as a great colleague. Talk to them one-on-one and listen carefully to their experiences & hurdles. Help them with advice whenever possible.

9. Reach out to lab alumni on LinkedIn or by email and ask for a call. Discuss their experiences. Look for red flags.

❗️ Keep in mind that a good advisor will be supportive of you exploring and evaluating the postdoc opportunity and the group itself.

_____

Question: “Should I do the same or a different topic from my PhD?”

My experience:

A postdoc in a different field can increase your chances in academia If you have a strong (!) profile as a PhD graduate (i.e. strong papers, good awards, great PhD advisor, etc).

But if your profile is not strong and if your postdoc is short (1-2 years), your chances are higher in your PhD field.

Keep in mind: Diverse expertise can help you stand out during faculty interviews. It can also help you establish a more diverse lab. But getting into a new field requires a lot more effort during your postdoc!

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Farewell, Skype! As an expat, you were our lifeline, bridging oceans with every call. Your role in internet communication was monumental. We'll miss you. 💙 #Skype #ThankYou

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

🌧️ New Research Alert! 🌏 Dive into our latest study on the seasonal and diurnal rainfall characteristics across Vietnam 🇻🇳! ☀️🌙 We've explored how multi-scale atmospheric processes shape diurnal rainfall. Read it here: https://t.co/kIYeUzEIfx #ClimateScience #Vietnam #Research

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Publishing woes: One paper accepted in 2mo by a journal with 2x impact factor, while a similar paper’s on 2nd revision after 10mo. This academic disparity delays progress. Journals must streamline reviews for fairness—let’s push for change! #AcademicTwitter
#publishing

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

🎉🐉 Happy Chinese New Year! I'm excited to attend the celebration at the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). Come along for vibrant performances and New Year lottery 🧧. Let's welcome the Year of the snake together! #ChineseNewYear #NTNU #CelebrateTogether 🐲🎆

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

✨ Happy 77th Independence Day, Sri Lanka! ✨🇱🇰

Even though I am miles away from home, my heart and soul remain in our beautiful motherland. Today, as we celebrate 77 years of independence, I am filled with pride to be a part of this vibrant nation.

[Suranjith Bandara K @SuranjithK]

Learned it the hard way. To avoid false positives in Turnitin similarity checks, remember to remove line numbers before uploading your documents. Line numbers can be mistakenly identified as similar text. #turnitin

[NASA @NASA]

We're all on this rock together, starting a new orbit around the Sun. Here's to new opportunities, discoveries, and moments of joy in 2025!

Happy New Year from all of us at NASA 💫

[Epic Maps 🗺️ @theepicmap]

Apparently Sri Lanka has the lowest gravity on the planet? What difference/s does this make, if any?

[Paul Novosad @paulnovosad]

What kind of childhood makes a top scientist? Is it enough to have all the right traits (brilliance, grit, etc) or do you need the right family too?

And why should we care? A 🧵 on our paper on the Nobel Laureates.

A teaser: the income distribution of the laureates' fathers.1/N

[Windy.com @Windycom]

🇹🇼 Typhoon Krathon Targets Taiwan / Category 4🌀

🌀 #TyphoonKrathon, classified as a powerful Category 4 storm, is nearing Taiwan and is expected to land on Tuesday or Wednesday. The typhoon is set to strike the island's densely populated west coast, particularly near the port city of Kaohsiung.

🌪️ The storm brings sustained winds up to 185 km/h and gusts reaching 260 km/h. Authorities warn of severe flooding, torrential rains, and significant wind damage, especially in southern Taiwan.

⚠️ The Central Weather Administration of Taiwan has already issued sea and land warnings, urging residents to prepare for potentially devastating impacts, particularly in the southwestern areas of Taiwan​.

🌀Trajectory provided by @JMA_bousai

[Dr. Robert Rohde @RARohde]

In an important — but also surprising — study reports new climate estimates over the last 500 million years.

It estimates Earth's mean temperature has swung between ~10 °C and ~35 °C (~50 °F and ~95 °F), a much larger range than previously believed.

https://t.co/iYilzHPgB5